Beverage dispensing system



Aug. 26, 1941. v. BEECHER BEVERAGE nIsPENsING SYSTEM Filed sept. 21, 1958 5 sheets-sheet 1 wuc/wbo/v 'V/Enfin@ Bescsr E] 1 wem/lov Vale/nime Beecher v. BEECHER 2 BEVERAGE DISPENSING- SYSTEM Filed Sept. 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 26, 1941.

Aug. 26,1941. v, BEECHER 2,253,884

BEVERAGE DISPENSING SYSTEM Filed sept. 21, 1938v s sheets-sheet 3 w19/5172111175' Been/551i gmac/whoa Patented ug. 26, 1941 2,253,884 BEVERAGE DISPEN SING SYSTEM valentine eecli'r, Greenville, N. Y.

Application September 21, 1938, Serial No. 231,079 4 Claims.) (C1. 225-1) Thisinvention relates to the system for pre-:M

cooling, storing and dispensing beer under pressure from the pre-cooler.

The main object of the invention is to provide a, simple, complete system ior storing kegs ofA 4beer in a pre-cooler, andfor dispensing the beer from the kegs under pressure suiicient to keep the natural gases of the beer in solution 'and thereby preserve the quality and flavor not only while it is stored in the kegs, but also during, the withdrawal thereof from the kegs.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a system of keg-supporting Vracks in the precooler for storing the kegs in super-posed hori- Zontal Vtiers with the kegs arranged in each tien in substantially horizontal position, Vfor the purpose of economizing space and increasing the storage capacity of the pre-cooler over those systems in which the kegs `are arranged in substantially vertical positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a storage system of the character referred to in Which the kegs may be moved with minimum effort from one position in any of the racks to any other predetermined position in which a dispensing system of piping may be readily connected to vany of the kegs when located in that position.

Still another object of 'the invention is to 'provide .a storage system in which the super'-` posed tiers of kegs are arranged in blocks on "opposite sides ofv an aisle so designed that the piping used to dispense the beer from the kegs may be connected alternatively to kegs in either .excellent condition regardless of how often it is drawn. This arrangement eliminates the possibility of beer `being dispensed in a wild, flat, warm or cloudy condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing system oi piping adapted to be `connected. to the kegs stored in the precoo-ler, and so insulated against heat as to avoidv'the necessity of using ice or ice Water for the purpose of maintaining thetemperature of the beer constant during the period of its flow from the keg to the bar from which it may be dispensed. Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds:

" Figure 1 is a fragmentary, vertical section taken lengthwise through a structure including a precooling storage chamber arranged belowY a dispensing bar, and illustrating one block lof keg-supporting racks arranged in superposed tiers on one side of an aisle in the said chamber;

Figure 2 is an end elevation, with parts shown in section, illustrating two blocks of keg-supporting Aracks arranged in tiers on opposite sides of an .aisle in the said chamber;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section to an enlargedscale Vtaken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section taken through .a heat insulated riser extending outside the precooler and adapted to be connected by, a piping system to any of the kegs stored in the preoooler;

'Figure' 5 is a section taken through one of a series of ball bearings mounted cn the racks to support the various kegs in proper position Yfor storage or dispensing;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a lmodiiied form of 4the invention; and

rFigure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of still another modification of the said invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the beer storage and dispensing system `embodying thepresent invention comprises a in its best condition. Two blocks of vertically,

superposed racks are shown in Figure 2 as arranged on opposite sides of an aisle 9. The left hand row, as shown in Figure 2, comprises three vertically superposed racks l), Il and l2 exends upon angle irons I3 suitably secured to v the'opposite walls i4 and l5 of the precooler.

tending between and supported at their opposite Preferably, each of `the keg-supporting rack-s vis shaped as a channel iron on the web of which a Iset "of ball-bearings it are suitably secured in pairs against the opposite upstanding flanges vto contact with the curved vsurfaces of the kegs K and support the same in substantiallyhoriing racks is substantially the same in a structural sense las the row shown on the lleft hand side of the aisle 9 and the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals primed.

Each set of four ball-bearings for supporting the kegs in each rack must be secured in predetermined positions where the bungs of the kegs supported thereby may be connected to fa horizontal pipe Il pivoted on the lower end of a vertical dispensing pipe and adapted to be swung from the bung fitting I3 of a keg on one side of the aisle 9 to the similar bung iitting of the keg directly opposite the iirst named keg. For example, the keg K-I, on one side of aisle 9, has its bung fitting i8' detachably connectedY to one end of the horizontal discharge -pipe l1, the other end of which is connected rotatably to the lower end of a dispensing pipe or riser I9 suitably secured at its upper end to a heat insulated discharge pipe 20. When the keg K-I is empty, the pipe il may be swung horizontally across the aisle 9 to be connected to the bung iitting I8 on the keg K-2, directly opposite to the keg K-L The discharge pipe 28 is enclosed in a casing 2| and sealed at its opposite ends to the said pipe 2B to form a heat insulating vacuum chamber 22 designed to preserve the temperature of the beer dispensed through pipe 20 in the manner of the well known Thermos or vacuum bottles. The upper end of the pipe 20 is bent to form a straight outlet section 23 adapted to be suitably connected to a dispensing faucet 24 eX- tending through the rear wall 25 of a bar or counter. As already indicated, the kegs directly opposite each other on the opposite sides of the aisle 9 are located at a predetermined distance from the front wall I4 or rather from the riser I9 to enable the horizontal pipe l1 to be swung about its vertical axis so that its outer end may be connected to the tap bung on either of the nearest kegs on the opposite sides of the aisle 9 at the same height. The arrangement of kegs horizontally is particularly adapted for use with the curved draught tube and the barrel tapping apparatus disclosed in my co-pending application, patented September 19, 1939, Patent No.

The piping used to conduct the beer from the kegs to the dispensing faucet is preferably formed of glass or some similar acid resisting material su-ch as disclosed in the aforesaid application and in my co-pending application, patented August 1, 1939, Patent No. 2,167,865, and in my application for Faucet, patented January 2S', 1940, Patent No. 2,188,216. The elbow `coupling C connecting the pipes I1 and 20 is somewhat iiexible and will allow the horizontal pipe I1 to move slightly up or down to connect With the tapping bung I8. The ball bearing support, however, permits the operator to roll the barrel about its axis and to rock it in directions transverse to its axis for the purpose of bringing the tapping bung into proper position for connection to the free end of the horizontal pipe l1. The opposite kegs in the lower rows are similarly supported for connection through their tapping bungs to the pipes connected to the heat insulated risers 28 which extend through the top wall of the pre-cooler into the dispensing bar B. It will be obvious that the racks I0, Il and l2 may be of any desired length to support any desired number of kegs; and the number of these racks arranged in tiers vertically over one another in any block may be continued indefinitely as desired.

The bung tapping apparatus which may be connected to each keg is .also connected by a. pipe 25 to a reservoir 2B comprising a receptacle of air under constant pressure and suitably supported on one of the walls of the precooler. Reservoirs 21 and 28, also comprising air receptacles, are provided for connection through the pipes 29 and 30, respectively, to the bung fitting connected to the kegs in the lower rows of the racksupporting system. The pressures in the reservoirs 21 and 28 increase successively over that in the reservoir 26 to compensate for the greater distances to which the beer must be dispensed from the lower rows of kegs, and to ensure the beer iiowing through the dispensing pipes at substantially the same constant rate in order to ensure that the quality of the beer dispensed through all of the faucets will be the same.

It is not essential that the precooler be arranged below the dispensing apparatus. The precooler PC may be arranged as shown in Figure 6 with the dispensing heat insulated pipes P extending vertically downward from the precooling chamber and arranged above the bar B as desired. In the form of the invention shown in Figure 7, the heat insulated dispensing pipes P may extend laterally from a precooler P'C located at the same level as the counter or bar B from which the beer is to be dispensed.

What I claim is:

l. Equipment for dispensing beverages under iiuid pressure comprising, a storage room, beverage containers positioned at dilferent levels in the storage room, dispensing apparatus disposed substantially on a common level, connecting means between the dispensing apparatus and the containers, and means to apply pressures to the several containers, the said pressures differing from one another in accordance with the levels of the containers relative to the dispensing apparalnls to maintain uniform pressures at the dispensing apparatus.

2. Equipment for dispensing beverages under iiuid pressure comprising, a storage room, beverage containers, a plurality positioned at each of different levels in the storage room, a plurality of dispensing means positioned outside the storage room and substantially on a common level, connecting means between the dispensing means and the containers, and means to apply pressures to the several containers, the said pressure differing from one another in accordance with the levels of the containers relative to the dispensing means to maintain uniform pressures at the dispensing means.

3. Equipment for dispensing beverages under fluid pressure comprising, a storage room, beverage containers, a plurality positioned at each of different levels in the storage room, a plurality of dispensing means positioned outside the storage room and substantially on a common level, connecting means between the dispensing means and the containers, a plurality of pressure reservoirs to apply pressure to the several containers, the pressures in the respective reservoirs differing from one another in accordance with the levels of the containers relative to the dispensing means to maintain uniform pressure at the dispensing means and means associated with each pressure reservoir to selectively connect it to one of the beverage containers positioned at a common level.

4. Equipment -lor dispensing beverages under fluid pressure comprising, a storage room, beverage containers, a plurality positioned at each of diierent levels in the storage room, a plurality of dispensing means positioned outside the storage room and substantially on a common level, ducts extending from each dispensing means and adapted to be'selectively connected to one of l0 

